Welcome to my 2022/23 Week Seven Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Report for those competing in head-to-head categories or rotisserie leagues. There are both standard and deep league acquisition targets. This report focuses on the best options among those who are likely to be available in your league as opposed to the universally owned players. There are 10 recommendations in total, 2 goalies, 2 defensemen, and 6 forwards. Some of these are only short-term targets, while others you may want to keep permanently.
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Best Standard League Adds (25% to 65% Yahoo ownership):
1) Mathew Barzal, NYI, (64% Yahoo ownership): It’s somewhat confusing that Mathew Barzal has scored 21 PTS in 19 GP, pacing for a cool 90 yet is only owned in 64% of Yahoo leagues. But I can offer a possible explanation, given that he’s available on waivers in at least one of my leagues and I have not added him either; I have too many centers and he’s center-only. If you have any center flexibility whatsoever, Barzal is a great option this week and beyond, now that he’s free from the constraints of Barry Trotz and allowed to explore his creativity.
2) Jordan Kyrou, STL, (66% Yahoo ownership): Jordan Kyrou was featured on this list last week, and if you followed my advice, he rewarded you with 7 PTS. The Blues are going to play yet another 4 game week, so if you added him as a streamer, now is not the time to drop. It actually is starting to look like Kyrou’s early season struggles are behind him, so if he was dropped in your league, you need to right that wrong. He’s not just a streaming suggestion, I’d continue holding Kyrou until he gives you a reason to drop him.
3) Jake Sanderson, Ott, (46% Yahoo ownership): While Thomas Chabot continues recovering from his concussion on IR, I’m very interested in streaming Jake Sanderson as he replaced Chabot on the top power play unit. What makes him even more appealing is that Ottawa will play 4 games, including a road trip to California, which isn’t exactly a haven for defensive hockey these days. Another blueliner of interest is Luke Schenn, who leads the NHL in hits the last 30 days and will be playing 4 games this week.
4) Tomas Hertl, SJ, (57% Yahoo ownership): You might be surprised to learn that Tomas Hertl has scored 13 PTS in his last 10 GP and is on pace for the second best point total of his entire career. He’s clicking on the top line with Timo Meier and the Sharks have a tantalizing schedule that could become a feeding frenzy for that top unit. Teammate Logan Couture is also off to a strong start (15 PTS in 20 GP) and is on pace for his best season since 2019. The bad news is that both are center-only, which means not an option for me.
5) Matt Murray,
Tor, (63% Yahoo ownership): So far so good, Matt Murray has played 3 good games
since returning from injury, posting a .933 SV% with 2 wins. The Toronto Maple
Leafs have won 6 of their last 9 and are starting to re-establish themselves in
the elite tier of the NHL. Also, if Martin Jones is available on your waiver
wire, Seattle’s games against San Jose and Anaheim would be a nice opportunity
to use him. I’m still hanging on to Jones in one of my leagues. He has yet to
let me down (also with a .933% the last 2 weeks), but am waiting for the clock
to strike midnight.
Honorable Mentions: Martin Jones, Luke Schenn, Logan Couture, Brock Nelson, Kirby Dach
Last Week: Carter Verhaege,
Antti Raanta, Jordan Kyrou, Boone Jenner, Radko Gudas
Best Deep League Adds (under 25% ownership):
1) J.G Pageau, NYI, (15% Yahoo ownership): The Islanders have a strong schedule coming up and Pageau is a solid streaming options for those of you in category leagues with hits. The center has scored 4 PTS in his last 7 GP, adding 12 shots and 18 hits. What’s better is that he’s actually playing on the Islanders top power play unit, scoring 3 PTS with the man advantage in those last 7 GP. Meanwhile, Adam Henrique in Anaheim is playing on the top line and top power play with Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry, scoring 9 PTS in his last 8 GP.
2) Cam Fowler, Ana, (6% Yahoo ownership): I was pessimistic about Cam Fowler’s outlook heading into the season as the arrival of John Klingberg, (joining Drysdale and Shattenkirk) creating more competition for power play time. It did not look like there would be a path to the PP for Fowler, until Drysdale and Shattenkirk were injured. Suddenly Fowler found himself on the top unit with a vengeance, scoring 6 PTS in his last 3 GP. The Ducks play 4 games this week, as do the Islanders if you’d rather settle for Adam Pelech (4 PTS in his last 6 GP) instead.
3) Tomas Tatar, NJ, (18% Yahoo ownership): Tomas Tatar is offensively talented and has always managed to put points on the scoreboard when given the opportunity. While he has gone pointless in the last 3 games, he has also scored 9 PTS in his last 10 GP playing on a line with Nico Hischier. The Devils will be playing 4 games this week, with a few struggling goaltenders on the itinerary. You could also take a swing with Kevin Hayes, who is centering the Flyers top power play unit, scoring 8 PTS in his last 8 GP.
4) Kevin Labanc, SJ, (1% Yahoo ownership): Kevin Labanc has sunk into fantasy mediocrity and out of the spotlight the past 2 seasons, but he has finally started to re-emerge as a viable scoring option now that he’s playing on the top line with Meier and Hertl, as well as the second power play unit. The dual-eligible winger has scored 7 PTS in his last 7 GP with 18 shots and is available in 99% of leagues. The Sharks will be playing 4 games, none of them against really good teams. Meanwhile, Ivan Barbashev received his second consecutive honorable mention playing on Kyrou’s wing.
5) Akira Schmid,
NJ, (4% Yahoo ownership): The sample size is still microscopic for Schmid, but
he’s been getting starts for a team that’s winning a lot of hockey games, posting
a .944 SV% in 3 games. Considering he’s available in 96% of fantasy leagues, he
should be sitting on your waiver wire. The Devils play 4 games this week,
though it seems plausible he’ll only get 1 start vs Buffalo. That would be a
fantastic spot-start opportunity. Montreal has 3 beatable opponents, so you
could also mix in some Sam Montembeault for a spot-start somewhere in there.
Honorable Mentions: Adam Henrique, Kevin Hayes, Ivan Barbashev, Adam Pelech, Sam Montembeault
Last Week: Casey DeSmith, Viktor
Arvidsson, Sean Durzi, Jason Zucker, Jonathan Toews
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